17 Comments Add your own

• 1. Mitch.Mulhall  |  January 25th, 2008 at 11:27 am

  G,

  Topically speaking, this post is quite a departure for you. I must admit to never having seen American Idol. I’m not much of a reality TV fan with one notable exception: since its inception in 2000, I haven’t missed a single season of Survivor.

  My favorite episode every season is the gross food challenge, wherein contestants must choke down local delicacies, like partially developed duck eggs, boiled tarantula, and various forms of raw fish sure to insult the palette of even the most adventurous Sashimi fan. Invariably the camera catches a fly crawling across one of the more hurl-worthy of the sun-baked delectables, and while TV fails to deliver the olfactory treat the contestants must enjoy, this segment nevertheless sends my wife scurrying for the bathroom…

  While the show budget has steadily shrunk, and the recipe has begun to seem played-out, I am looking forward to the coming season. Why? Perhaps the most detestable personality ever to play the game is back: Jon Dalton, aka Jonny Fairplay, or, more simply, the weasel. This is the guy who generated a bunch of sympathy among his peers by claiming he’d received news that his grandma died. Turned out granny was fine, and probably as crooked as her grandson. Since competing in Survivor Pearl Islands, Dalton went on to win an ESPY Award for best non-sports sports moment by being body slammed over the top rope of a boxing ring by Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher. The weasel should be low-hanging fruit.

  I seem to remember Ed Troy holding up reality-TV watchers as the kind of thinkers (and voters) who resemble a mental patient transfixed by a lightbulb.

  Mea cupla.

  Still, I’m holding out for Survivor Antarctica.

  Cheers,

• 2. reckless G  |  January 25th, 2008 at 12:11 pm

  [Topically speaking, this post is quite a departure for you.]

  I got an email from the Conman asking me to post again but after being criticized (by you) for writing about Palestine ad nauseum, I thought I’d pick a lighter topic. Glad to see it sparked your interest.

  I caught a few episodes of Survivor early on but it seemed so contrived and the contestants were generally such assholes that I couldn’t stick with it. Judging by your enthusiasm for the new season based on the reappearance of a “detestable personality” I guess you watch because of “the people you love to hate.”

  If you enjoy watching people eat disgusting things, then you should check out Andrew Zimmer’s Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. He travels around the world eating local foods such as scorpions and various insects, lamb eyeballs, snake gall bladder, and the ever popular testicles. I used to think testicle eating was an invention of the reality show genre, but after seeing Zimmer eating testicles in just about every country he’s visited, I realize this is a pretty mundane food for most of the world’s cultures.

  I’ve seen about eight episodes of Bizarre Foods now and I’m becoming quite immune to the sight of people wolfing down what Americans consider gross foods. So if you want to maintain the shock value of Survivor’s food challenges I would suggest skipping Bizarre Foods.

  You mentioned partially developed duck eggs. This is balut, popular in the Philippines. My sister-in-law is Philippino, so I was introduced to the fact that balut exists long ago, though I’ve never tried it. It’s supposedly very delicious though.

  [I seem to remember Ed Troy holding up reality-TV watchers as the kind of thinkers (and voters) who resemble a mental patient transfixed by a lightbulb.]

  Yeah that’s exactly the kind of stigma I’m talking about. Accusing someone of being a reality-TV watcher is considered quite an insult in this valley. I think it has actually replaced “your mother wears combat boots.” When an activist friend of mine found out I watched American Idol she chastised me for supporting Rupert Murdoch. The way Murdoch is going though, there soon won’t be any show or channel you can watch that he doesn’t own.

  Maybe the fact that you and I watch reality TV will change Ed’s mind about the mentality of R-TV fans. On the other hand, he may be right, and we are just exceptions to the rule.

• 3. Hugh520  |  January 25th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

  This is a departure from that Middle East string.

  The word is this season they want Simon to be even meaner -- I guess that means more humiliating comments, more insults, more put downs. You can almost hear the producer can't you. It's painful to watch contestants who've been nurtured in the bosom of family and friends find out that Simon thinks they should go back to flipping burgers.

  I used to play in a band and our mix of songs was about 50% covers and 50% our own stuff. These aren't singer-songwriters, their imitators and the shelf life of the winners is as long as the attention span of the viewers who elected them.

  I'll admit that hearing Kelly Clarkson sing "The Trouble With Love Is" is a singular treat, but the vapid song selection of the contestants is too much to take at times. And ultimately, at least in the early stages, we are watching the modern equivalent of the Roman arena. I'll bet my bottom dollar that some of the rejects suffer from PTSD. The show is a gaudy, insipid spectacle, just like the "If it bleeds it leads" tabloids Rupert puts out.

  In the interest of full disclosure I have seen maybe 3 total hours of this drivel.

• 4. reckless G  |  January 25th, 2008 at 3:17 pm

  [In the interest of full disclosure I have seen maybe 3 total hours of this drivel.]

  I’ve found that most people who put down Idol have either never watched the show or seen very little of it. Their criticism of the show seems to stem more from the idea than the reality. The thought of people competing against each other for a chance at stardom may seem like drivel, but really isn’t that what the music industry has always been about; discovering the next big talent?

  Since you’ve only seen three hours, it would be hard for you to develop the kind of intimate understanding that a whole season would engender. When you’ve seen the tryouts, the culling, the development of the finalists, and the process of elimination to get to the winner, you gain an appreciation of just what it takes to become a star. Until Idol came along singers had to rely mainly on luck; being in the right place at the right time and getting discovered. Idol gives America’s singers and wannabes a place to go to be discovered.

  And the winners, while they may not equal the voice of Freddy Mercury or the songwriting ability of David Byrne, still have real talent. But more than that, they have that quality that America’s youth looks for in their singing stars. That thing that makes kids go; “I want to be just like her/him.” And thus, comes the next generation of Idol hopefuls.

• 5. Hugh520  |  January 25th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

  No reckless G,

  Before Idol came along singers had to develop their own material, sing in dive bars and send their demo tapes to whoever would listen -- a long road refining their voice or band and if you had the staying power and all important talent, you'd get picked up. The system was rigged to to find you -- and more important than singing covers of other peoples songs, you had to have a bunch of your own.

  Has one idol winner come out on stage and sung an original tune? No, The format won't allow it. So how many true singer songwriters are being excluded? Lots I bet who'll last much longer than these overproduced idols. What's the shelf life of an idol?

  Don't forget, I've been in a band that was almost good enough. We spent 1000's of hours in our basement perfecting our sound. It was original. We put our own spin on covers as diverse as Ray Charle's, version of "Makin Woopie" to Marvin Gaye's "Ain't that Peculiar." The rest was pure original stuff. And let me tell you It's scary hanging your own stuff out there live in some bar. But when a person comes up and says, "Hey man that was awesome," and you know the song is yours and yours alone, there's no better feeling.

  Anyway, I will never do justice to the way most bands and singer songwriters come up. But I'll pose a question. How many Idol winner albums have you purchased?

• 6. Mitch.Mulhall  |  January 25th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

  See G, you don't have to write about Palestine to generate dialog...

  [I used to think testicle eating was an invention of the reality show genre, but after seeing Zimmer eating testicles in just about every country he’s visited, I realize this is a pretty mundane food for most of the world’s cultures.]

  It's my turn to buy lunch for you and Rat, and now I know where we're going: The Pour House, for Rocky Mountain Oysters. Hmmmmm. It will be the perfect repast for telling you about branding spring calves.

  Cheers,

• 7. Hugh520  |  January 26th, 2008 at 11:47 am

  [ When you've seen the tryouts, the culling, the development of the finalists, and the process of elimination]

  I have seen enough to know that it's a cruel spectacle. One that kept Sanjaya around for it's own amusement. One that obviously lets a few talent-free contestants through, all the better to amuse our citizenry.

  Years ago I bought the Love Actually soundtrack, because I wanted to hear who it was that was singing, The Trouble with Love Is" among some other songs. Kelly belts out one of the best R&B ballads I've ever heard.

  But when you listen to her oeuvre on Rhapsody it's not that great. she's also being so over managed and pushed from her soulful R&B roots to a harder edged rock sound. You can hear Clive Davis screaming for that younger demo.

  Anyway G, you're more accepting than me: from cruel Simon to witless Paula, to endless unoriginal imitation of predictable covers, I can't do it.

• 8. reckless G  |  January 26th, 2008 at 11:59 am

  Mitch,

  Who knew such a lighthearted topic could produce this kind of in depth dialogue? It’s actually kind of refreshing for me to discuss an issue in which freedom, justice and human life is not at stake.

  As far as your lunch offer is concerned, I’ve so far made it a rule in life not to put anyone’s gonads in my mouth, but hey, rules were made to be broken, so let’s go for it. You can tell me about your spring calf branding experience and I’ll tell you about mine.

  Hugh,

  I understand, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It sounds like you know too much about the inner workings of the music industry and the commercialization of young artists to be able to just enjoy the spectacle.

  Regarding the unoriginality of the material, we’re talking about singers here, not bands, not musicians, not composers, just singers. I think you'll agree that there have been a lot of star singers who didn’t write their own material.

  The format of singing popularly known songs allows the judges and audience to compare the singer’s version to the original, and to see what kind of personal spin they can put on it. An original song by the contestant might be harder to judge. How do you know what it’s supposed to sound like if you’ve never heard it before?

  Many former Idol finalists, not just winners, have produced their own albums of original songs, some even written by them. Idols have won music awards too, but being a purist, you probably don’t give that much credence.

  How many Idol albums have I purchased? None. As I said before, as much as I enjoy the music, I watch because of the drama. It’s a fascinating study of human behavior. It showcases the depth of delusion as well as the thrill of accomplishment, how people handle disappointment and success, criticism and praise. It’s shameless voyeurism no doubt, but I don’t care. It’s one of the few places I can escape from my glass-half-empty attitude and believe once again that America is a place where dreams do come true.

• 9. Hugh520  |  January 26th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

  This is not worthy of much more comment. I am a music lover and when I hear something beautiful, I'll stop and listen. Pop music, which is what's being peddled on Idol, is not that beautiful.

  And to think that one of the judges is the singer of the MTV hit "Opposites Attract" gives me the shudders.

  I thought of you yesterday G when I noticed that Arun Gandhi a grandson of MK Ghandi has been sacked from his Center for Nonviolence founded in 1991 for calling Israel the "biggest player" in a global culture of violence.

  I want at some point to enter this discussion, but my books are all packed, and in truth I'm only as far as 1921 or thereabouts in my middle-east education. Your sources will be of help as well. If you want the NYT article it was in yesterdays paper.

• 10. reckless G  |  January 26th, 2008 at 3:51 pm

  There’s an old saying; “Tell the truth and run,” the implication being you’ll be attacked for saying what people don’t want to hear. In my experience that is very accurate. Arun Gandhi told the truth, but it’s a truth people don’t want to hear, so he had to go.

  I’ve been researching Middle East history for six years now and I find out something new every time I read a new book, magazine article or website. It’s an extremely complex and convoluted issue. Kudos to you for giving it a look.

  As much fun as this discussion has been, the fantasy couldn’t last forever. I guess it’s back to my reality. I’m preparing to write a new blog on my same old theme, inspired by Barry Schochet’s appearance on Congames last Friday. I’d appreciate your input, so perhaps you’ll care to contribute, or just read along as part of your educational process.

• 11. Hugh520  |  January 26th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

  What's the the definition of a gaffe? Someone who blurts out the truth accidentally.

  Does the Con Man deal with this topic regularly? I'm out of radio range.

• 12. reckless G  |  January 26th, 2008 at 8:51 pm

  A gaffe is defined as an insensitive remark, generally considered accidental. I think you put it well. That certainly is how the Jewish community is reacting to Arun Gandhi’s statement. That’s also the reason some people take offense at my letters. But my remarks aren’t accidentally insensitive, they are purposefully blunt.

  Funny, I was just discussing the annoying lack Americans have of facing the truth with my husband this morning. I really hate that whole “politically correct” thing. That’s what’s wrong with America today, everyone is so afraid of hurting others feelings that no one tells the truth anymore. If the truth isn’t told then wrongs can’t be righted, injustice can’t be corrected, nothing gets done. We just don’t talk about embarrassing socio-political problems or who’s to blame. We’d rather sweep them under the rug.

  The truth is Israel is a problem, a BIG problem for the world and for America. But we’re not allowed to say that because we might hurt the Jews’ feelings.

  Con Man doesn’t talk about the Middle East much unless there’s something in the news. The first part of Friday’s show was a reaction to the Palestinians breaking out of their Gaza prison. Since Michael believes Barry Schochet is an expert, having served as a Washington foreign policy advisor, he queried him on the issue. Barry’s answers were nothing less than horrifying. If he’s an example of our government foreign policy team’s understanding of the Middle East, we’re in a lot worse trouble than I thought!

• 13. Hugh520  |  January 27th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

  We're getting a bit off topic here but...

  I have such reverence for the Mahatma. I have stood on the spot in the garden where he was lost to us through violence. I have seen his grave sight and its eternal flame.

  Abraham Foxman called the Mahatma's grandson a bigot. That is the shameful act here. Especially after a heavily televised 30 Billion dollar Israeli arms deal, which is no doubt what Arun was responding to. Foxman also goes further by saying, "One would hope that the grandson of such an illustrious human being would be more sensitive to Jewish history."

  What history, pray tell in 2008 are we talking about?

  My definition of a gaffe, FYI is the way it's generally understood in Washington.

  Just to honor the string: How's idol after week one? It would have been fun to count the number of time Randy used the word "dog" last year and the number of times Paula used words she'd just heard from the other two. She's easy on the eyes, but duller than dishwater as my dear departed Ma used to say.

• 14. reckless G  |  January 27th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

  Hugh,

  I was as appalled as you are at the labeling of Arun as a bigot, but not surprised. This is the common tactic of those trying to protect Israel’s image from being tarnished by those who tell the truth about the occupation.

  After reading more about the incident, I understand what all of the fuss is about. First, in his comment; “We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity," if he had left out “the Jews,” he still would have gotten some flak, but probably not half as much. He has criticized Israel before without severe consequences. In my letters to the editor and blog comments, I’m careful never to use the phrase; “the Jews” when what I am talking about is the policies of Israel. Nevertheless, I am still accused of anti-Semitism on a regular basis. Second, never EVER mention the Holocaust. This is a BIG no-no. It understandably upsets people to be accused of using the sympathy engendered by the Holocaust to get away with murder. But in my opinion, it definitely qualifies as the Washington definition of a gaffe.

  Unfortunately, Arun’s biggest mistake was to kowtow to the ADL bastards and not to stand by his statements. He just screwed it for those of us trying against all odds and manner of personal insults to get the truth about Israel out to the American public. By caving to the demand to resign, he validated the claim that any criticism of Israel deserves punishment and public humiliation. This would’ve been a great opportunity to call America’s attention to the real problem in the Middle East; Israel’s illegal and inhumane treatment of an occupied civilian population.

  But back to the real topic; American Idol is in its audition phase which lasts several weeks. I agree with you that it is sometimes “painful to watch contestants who've been nurtured in the bosom of family and friends find out that Simon thinks they should go back to flipping burgers.” But it is amazing to see people who can’t sing a note on key, and think they have what it takes to be the next American Idol. I agree with Simon that he is doing them a favor by telling them the truth. I think their families have done their talentless children no favors in lying to them all of these years about how beautifully they sing. Finally the torture can end for the family members forced to endure the horrible singing, and the kids can really get serious about what they want to do with the rest of their life.

  You had it right about the judges too. Are you sure you’ve only watched three hours of Idol? I notice that so far Randy has laid off the “dog” and Paula seems to be refraining from making an ass off herself in ways too numerous to count. But the judge’s personalities and their interaction with each other is one of the things I like about the show. It’s entertaining and it just works.

  The part of the series I like best is after the auditions and culling, when the finalists begin working on their talent and image and competing against each other to stay in the game. This is where the talent shines through and we see stardom in the making.

• 15. Hugh520  |  January 27th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

  Fair enough G,

  And I think I'm being honest about the 3 hours, but no question the show exploits these fledglings for "our" entertainment, and instead of tomatoes they get Simon.

  But here's the thing: I like Simon. I like him so much more than Randy or Paula I think he could carry the show on his own. Why is that? Because underneath his staged cruelty is the breath of fresh honesty: "Get lost. Go invent the next light bulb, just don't ever attempt to sing again!"

  Our friends can be too kind for our own good. My bass playing comes to mind. It wasn't bad, but I was no Chuck Rainey ( Steely Dan's Bassist ) and I knew it.

  Now the two strings are coming together, Arun's "gaffe" and Fox's Simon: We're talking about bald honesty here. And you're perfectly right, Arun should have stood his ground and braved the debate. Screw the endowment!

  One day someone is going to strip the debate of its parochial rhetorical defenses. It may, not so improbably, take a comedian. Perhaps a combination of Lenny Bruce, Shimon Peres, and Sam Kineson. I'm not calling Peres a comic, but he provides the balance while the other two wail away at the truth.

  Peace

• 16. reckless G  |  January 27th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

  Amen Hugh, AMEN!

• 17. Pete  |  February 4th, 2008 at 7:21 am

  We're with you, reckless G. My wife and I have been American Idol groupies from the very first season. And we don't watch another "reality" show.

  I've noticed that I'm no longer interested in the early season shows - the auditioning of crazies from Seattle, Dallas, etc. Those shows are not about developing talent or picking a winner. They're merely freak shows, giving Simon a chance to excel at his special brand of slam.

  But as the season unfolds and we get to watch and enjoy the finalists, I become completely hooked. For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the show is watching how the contestants evolve/improve over the many weeks. Yes, much is the result of beauticians and coaches. Hard work and sharp criticism also come into play, I'm sure.

  So yes, we are hooked. And we aren't ashamed to mention it to all our friends here in the RFV. Too bad for them if they are too sophisticated and enlightened to enjoy a great show.

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